Announcements

1. Make sure that you make progress on your formal report as well in terms of literature search and writing the parts that you completed already in the lab. The draft version of paper is due on 4-24-2009 at 5 pm. The draft version is worth 15 points, the final paper 45 points. For more information what the draft is supposed to contain see here. Late submission will receive less credit. The more of your work you submit here, the more feedback you will get, which will beneficial for the final version. We will try to return the reports by Monday.

2. The second quiz will be administered on Tuesday, April 14, 2009 at 12:00 pm covering the resolution and the ligand synthesis and techniques involed in these projects. Bring a ruler, non-graphing calculator and pen with you. Please make sure that you arrive on time (this means that you are seated by 11:55 am!!!). Late arrivals will not be allowed into the class room since they disturb the rest of the class!! This also means that you will not be allowed to take the quiz!!!

3. The question below are due in your prelab for April 14 and 15, 2009 (meeting 5).

4. Starting this week, students will only be allowed to attend their own lab section. There have been plenty of complaints this week from various sides about the overcrowding of the labs starting with insufficient supplies, hood space, hardware, etc. Also, if you check out equipment in a box, please return it with the box.

ATTN: Answers to the below questions are due at the start of your lab period; these answers should be part of your pre-lab write-up.

1. Referring to the synthesis and characterization of the Jacobsen catalyst, answer the following questions.

a. Why should the manganese(II) acetate be crushed prior addition to the ligand suspension?

b. Which color does Mn(OAc)₂*4 H₂O have? Which color does Mn(ligand) have?

c. What is used as oxidant in this reaction? How is it introduced to the reaction?

d. The reaction is monitored with TLC. Assuming the reaction is incomplete, sketch the TLC plate. What is the student looking for here?

e. After the reaction is deemed complete, the solvent is removed. What remains behind at this point?

f. After the removal of the drying agent from the organic layer, heptane is added and the mixture is gently heated. What is supposed to happen here? How does the student know that he is done heating?

g. What are the major changes in the FTIR spectrum when comparing the catalyst with the ligand?

h. Why does the student not acquire the optical rotation for the catalyst?